Enormous Data Hack Exposes Consumers

The date was April 1, 2011 when a massive data hack occurred at the largest firm for e-mail marketing namely Epsilon based in Dallas that resulted in the theft of countless e-mail ids from databases pertaining to a number of prominent American companies, reported Business Insider on April 4, 2011.

The hack evidently, leaked out innumerable customer e-mails pertaining to an increasing number of companies like Capital One, Walgreens, JPMorgan Chase, Marriott Rewards, Citi and others. MSN reported this on April 4, 2011.

Informing all its clients, Epsilon has said that e-mail ids or first names were filched; however, the result can still be that spammers made use of the information for dispatching personalized e-mails from trustworthy ids. Moreover, the e-mails could even bypass spam folders and anti-spam filters. Business Insider reported this on April 4, 2011.

Told a spokesperson of Marriott Rewards to SecurityWeek a Tech magazine in an e-mail, the unauthorized individuals gained admission into the databases containing members' points and e-mail addresses. However, they couldn't gain access to the passwords and logins, credit card details, addresses or other private information of the members, the spokesperson added that MSN reported on April 4, 2011.

Incidentally, Epsilon dispatches over 40bn e-mail advertisements as well as offers every year, normally to persons subscribing to any firm's website alternatively people providing their e-mail ids during online purchases. Meanwhile, the security breach is undergoing investigation by law-enforcement officials, although it couldn't be clearly known about the number of customers that was affected. New York Post reported this in news on April 4, 2011.

Stated Jessica Simon spokeswoman for Epsilon, although the firm was cooperating with the officials as well as conducting a detail probe, it couldn't say anything further. New York Post reported this on April 4, 2011.

Importantly, the incident takes place 3-years after computer invaders hacked into the debit/credit card processor Heartland Payment Systems. During that hack, Albert Gonzalez an infamous hacker headed a gang, which filched over 40m debit and credit card numbers that resulted in a 20-year jail sentence for him, reported New York Post on April 4, 2011.